Water paddles or oars which are now commercially available typically have a single long handle for gripping by one or two hands. Such paddles or oars are commonly used for canoes, rowboats and the like. Known paddles for smaller flotation crafts, such as small rafts, have commonly been designed as shorter versions of such oars. These smaller paddles require gripping by two hands, or a set of oar locks when controlled with one hand.
A number of paddles have been designed for use with one hand, for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,663 (Richmond) discloses a blade, a brace for the arm at the opposite end, and a hand grip intermediate the blade and arm brace. The arm brace is resilient and thus suited to releasably grip forearms of different sizes. U.S Pat. No. 2,893,021 (Lundborg) discloses a water ski pole with a forearm brace at its top, and a handle somewhat below the brace.
Such devices, while adapted for use with one arm or by both arms in pairs, are limited in their ability to accommodate individuals of different size and physical makeup. While it is known to make a forearm brace adjustable to accommodate various forearm circumferences, the positioning of the hand grip predetermines the distance from the hand to the forearm brace. Accordingly, such a device when sized appropriately for one user does not suit another, either positioning a forearm brace above the elbow or failing to use the available leverage corresponding to the distance from the hand to a forearm region near the elbow. The conventional forearm brace extends normal to the shaft or arms on which it is mounted. As perhaps best seen from the Lundborg patent, this arrangement prevents the optimal positioning of the forearm brace near or at the elbow for maximum leverage, because such positioning would place the end of the pole in a position to jab the arm or otherwise interfere with full flexure of the arm at the elbow. Yet another disadvantage of conventional devices is the difficulty in handling and transporting them.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paddle suited for manipulation with one arm, and for a universal fit which is virtually independent of the range of forearm girth and distance between hand and forearm among potential users.
Another object of the invention is to provide a watercraft paddle with a forearm brace positioned to bear upon the forearm at the elbow during use for maximum leverage, and yet avoid interfering with full flexing of the elbow.
A further object is to provide a water paddle in which the paddle blade exhibits improved lateral stability for increased ease of use and reliability.
Yet another object is to provide an aquatic sporting device assembly of plural sections, removably attached for more convenient transport and storage, with interchangeable working implements to provide versatility.